aj5string

[quote name='jakesbass' post='142410' date='Feb 18 2008, 12:55 PM']In my mind the double and electric have equal validity in music and its history, and I think it a shame that there is a "stigma" to be discussed. as you can see from my sig, I play both professionally[/quote] I totally agree, but there is definitely a stigma (in my opinion of course), and its something i am both interested in, and have first hand experience of, so thought this would be a good opportunity to research it.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='142346' date='Feb 18 2008, 11:07 AM']I agreed with most of your post but the bit I have quoted above is a little off the mark. It's true that Jaco was the first really high profile bass player, who is still known today, to do the things you said (mainly because weather report were a stadium act, unheard of in the early jazz era) but there were many bass players playing solos and being more involved upfront before Jaco came to fame. The obvious examples, going way back, are Jimmy Blanton an amazing player who had a very prominent role in Duke Ellingtons orchestra, there are recordings of him playing a very 'up front' role. Scott LaFaro who played an almost telepathic joint front position with Bill Evans in the great trio recordings of the 50s and 60s. To a slightly lesser extent you could say that Ray Brown played more up front than many other predecessors but that was mainly due again to the almost telepathic relationship he had with Oscar Peterson, Ed Thigpen and Herb Ellis, which meant he flowed in and out of accompaniment and solo roles effortlessly. To refer to the OPs question the above are just three examples of many players pre Jaco who were significant and prominent in the music and its history, and I think it would add depth and integrity to your dissertation to explore the true beginings of the bass' solo role. FYI the recordings with Jimmy Blanton go back to the very early Ellington days, he played with him for 2 yrs from 1939 a full 37 yrs before Jaco really made an impact with his first solo album of 1976[/quote] I wrote that whilst drinking tea, and forgot to point something out... i'm currently writing my own dissertation, but mine is on the negative stigma surrounding the bass guitar in Jazz, so am kinda in the mindset of the bass guitar being a different instrument to the double bass. I totally agree with what your saying, and think with all dissertations etc. you have to put into place some of your own rules - 10k words (or whatever the OP is working to) is actually not a lot if your writing about something you are passionate about.

Tort for me...

Sure Jaco had loads of influences - but all the great musicians have; for me, most of the time when a musician does something new and exciting, a lot of the time it is because they have taking on lots of things before them and not dismissed inspirations. I guess you need to decide how he was unique and how he wasn't. He was doing things on the bass that no-one had done before, but arguably, also doing things that other musicians hadn't done before. He took the bass and really pushed it to the front of the music - i think he was probably the first 'jazz' player to do that. Also, you need to take into account the fact that he was playing about 30 years ago; sure his approach isn't unique now, but it was very different at the time... His impact on the music is undeniable, and he is one of the few musicians (on any instrument) that still is remarkable now: people can appreciate people like Hendrix for his musicality, but he has bee surpassed technically - I don't think anyone has matched Jacos combination of musicality and technicality on the bass...

[quote name='jwbassman' post='135406' date='Feb 6 2008, 11:28 PM']Nice, like it... good logo too [/quote] Cheers - the logo is the icing on the cake :-)

Hey! Have just listed some bits and pieces on ebay. A DOD bass overdrive pedal (with all important blend control), a faulty MXR Noise gate, and a mint Hercules stand. Will end auctions early for good offers from basschatters: [url="http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZbassy-alex"]http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZbassy-alex[/url] Will do a deal on all the bassy bits, will also consider trades for a good chorus pedal, or other interesting pedals. Cheers!

Its a soul/covers/functions we recently set up - we only auditioned drummer in early/mid january! We're all really chuffed with the results. First time i've recorded with my current rig/setup too Check it out! If you like it please add us as a friend as well... www.myspace.com/gosoul Cheers peeps! Alex.

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='125954' date='Jan 23 2008, 10:17 AM']Does dep short for deputy? Excuse me ignorance... just wanted to know.[/quote] I'd always wondered that. Mentioned 'depping' to a none musician friend, and they didn;t have a clue what i was on about!

1x Newtone 'Diamond' 130 Long Scale - utterly brilliant strings! 1x Newtone 'Diamond' 105 Long Scale - still utterly brilliant strings! i'll have those if they are still around? Just let me know how much you want for postage. Alex.

They look cheap to me, if those shapes were on a bass that cost £100 i think people would laugh at them... But, looks arn't everything!